The excitement is palpable as the Nvidia RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 are set to hit the market on January 30. These high-end GPUs, priced at $1,999 and $999 respectively, are generating significant buzz, with eager buyers already camping outside stores in anticipation. However, concerns about potential shortages are casting a shadow over the launch, fueled by reports from both retailers and manufacturers.

MSI, a leading manufacturer, has indicated through WCCFTech that the initial supply of these GPUs will be limited due to the Lunar New Year, also known as Chinese New Year. This holiday is expected to impact the first wave of stock, with availability projected to improve throughout February and beyond.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 – Photos

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Retailers have echoed these concerns, particularly regarding the RTX 5090. Overclockers UK claims to have received only "single digits at present," while last week it reported having just a "few hundred" RTX 5080 GPUs for the launch. U.S. retailer PowerGPU has also weighed in, tweeting that "The launch of the RTX 5090 will be the worst when it comes to availability."

In response to the growing unease, Nvidia's Tim@Nvidia posted a statement on the company's official forum titled "GeForce RTX 50 Series Availability," which reads:

"We expect significant demand for the GeForce RTX 5090 and 5080 and believe stock-outs may happen. Nvidia and our partners are shipping more stock to retail every day to help get GPUs into the hands of gamers."

Amid these supply concerns, scalpers are already taking advantage of the situation. Listings for RTX 5090 GPUs have appeared on eBay as "pre-sale," with one notable example being an Asus ROG Astral RTX 5090 offered by a collectibles reseller for a staggering $5,750. This represents an 187% markup over the card's already high $1,999 MSRP.

Adding to Nvidia's challenges, the company's share price tumbled by 16.86% on Monday following the emergence of the Chinese AI model DeepSeek. This model, reportedly trained for just $6 million, poses a potential threat to Nvidia's datacenter GPU sales, complicating the company's focus during this crucial launch week.